ABSTRACT
Aceh, located on the most northern part of Indonesia on the island of Sumatra, was severely affected by the 2005 tsunami and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM: Gerakan Aceh Merdeka), which began in the 1970s. The conflict and the tsunami have affected all aspects of Acehnese society; in the aftermath of the tsunami, much attention was given to the recovery of tsunami-affected areas in Aceh. Notwithstanding this attention, the region’s three-decade struggle for independence saw a ‘drastic rise of poverty, the degradation of public services as well as the increase of human rights violations, with high prevalence of gender based violence’ (Brun 2007). The economy of a post-conflict society is always severely damaged and inherently linked to the development of all other structures in society. The economic contribution of women, especially in the informal sector and in agriculture, played a vital role in sustaining Acehnese families during the conflict, as well as in rebuilding socio-economic structures after the conflict.
